Phillip Schofield: A timeline of the ITV saga so far, from the affair to MPs quizzing Carolyn McCall
Phillip Schofield has resigned from his 20-year post presenting ITV's This Morning after admitting to an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a young male colleague.
Co-host Holly Willoughby said she felt "very hurt" by Schofield's lie over the affair after she asked him "directly" if it was true and "was told it was not".
The revelations have sparked input from ex-This Morning stars Eamonn Holmes and Dr Ranj Singh, who have spoken about Schofield's unpopularity on set and accused ITV of a "toxic culture".
Schofield, 61, has now been dropped by ITV, his agent and a number of high profile brands, as ITV bosses have been forced to deny to MPs that there any evidence of the affair appeared during on-going reviews.
Here, we take a look at the Schofield saga timeline.
April 17: Phillip Schofield returns to ITV's This Morning after his brother was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.
Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.
May 10: The Sun Newspaper reports that Schofield and Willoughby are "barely speaking".
May 11: Following speculation their relationship was under strain, Schofield calls Willoughby his "rock" while admitting that the past few weeks "haven't been easy for us."
May 15: Rumours surround the relationship between Schofield and Willoughby intensify, but the pair put on a united front, despite the reported "cooling" of their friendship.
May 20: Schofield announces that he is stepping down from This Morning with “immediate effect” after more than 20 years on the ITV programme.
May 21: ITV announces Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary will fill in as hosts on This Morning following Schofield’s departure from the show.
May 22: Hammond and O'Leary pay tribute to Schofield in the first show since he announced his exit.
They describe him as "one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had" before wishing him "all the best for the future."
Watch the moment Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary pay tribute to Phillip Schofield
May 26: The presenter releases a statement admitting an affair with a "much younger man" and announces that he would be stepping down from presenting the British Soap Awards and ITV.
He is also dropped by his talent agency, YMU.
May 27: ITV release a statement saying an investigation into "rumours of a relationship" between Schofield and a younger employee were launched, but no "evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay or rumour" was found.
"Phillip's statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship," an ITV spokesperson said.
Holly Willoughby also accuses Schofield of lying to her.
Writing on Instagram, she says: "When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It's been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie."
May 28: Ex-This Morning star Dr Ranj Singh releases a statement about a "toxic culture" on the daytime television show, saying he was "managed out" after taking his concerns about how people were being treated to the top of ITV.
The TV doctor posts to Twitter: "I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: the culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.
"I didn't know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with (This Morning) go far beyond him."
ITV are then forced to assert that This Morning will not be axed following speculation around its future.
Lawyers representing Schofield confirm that he and the colleague met when the boy was 15, but said the affair began after he started working at ITV.
May 29: Around half an hour before This Morning is due to air, Schofield hits out at "the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show".
Shortly afterwards, Eamonn Holmes, who previously presented the show on Fridays with wife Ruth Langsford, tweets: "Schofield has just put out a delusional statement.
"Like Holly, he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hrs.
"I’m reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if u r looking for a fight , u have picked on the wrong person!"
Holmes makes a number of scathing remarks about Schofield and ITV in an interview with Dan Wootton on GB News.
He says Schofield "created an atmosphere where people hated him" and "avoided him in the corridor".
He also alleges that “those in authority” had to have known what was going on. “It’s a total cover-up."
"Those in authority had to know what was going on and they thought they would dodge a bullet with this."
May 30: Schofield is dropped as an ambassador to The Prince’s Trust, a charity founded by the King.
The charity, which helps young people aged 11 to 30 get into jobs, says it was “no longer appropriate” for it to work with him.
News emerges that ITV bosses will be quizzed over the handling of Schofield's departure from This Morning on Tuesday, June 6.
A session with TV executives, including from ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, is expected to focus on scrutiny of the forthcoming Media Bill.
Cabinet minister Mel Stride said there are "certainly questions to examine" over the accusations thrown at ITV following Phillip Schofield's exit
May 31: ITV has asked top lawyer Jane Mulcahy KC (Blackstone Chambers) to externally review the facts of the This Morning and Phillip Schofield controversy.
The channel's chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall, wrote to broadcasting regulator Ofcom and the culture secretary with details of ITV's previous investigation into the affair, and the plans going forward.
June 1: A "bombshell" interview with Schofield - his first since admitting to the affair - arrives via The Sun newspaper, where he admits to seeing no future for his career.
He said he feels "broken and ashamed" and the fallout from his secret affair had brought “the greatest misery” to his former lover’s “totally innocent life”.
'I'm just finding it really painful': This Morning host Allison Hammond becomes visibly emotional in response to Phillip Schofield's BBC interview
June 2: To the BBC, he denies grooming the young man and said the fallout from the revelations had been "relentless," urging the media to leave his former lover "alone now".
"If you don’t think that that is going to have the most catastrophic effect on someone’s mind… do want me to die? Because that’s where I am," Schofield says.
"I have lost everything."
June 3: This Morning editor Martin Frizell says "scores are being settled" when asked about claims of a toxic work environment at the ITV show.
Mr Frizell tells Sky News: "All I want to say is, I am working with a fantastic team of mainly women, many mums, a lot of them concerned for their jobs, although we’ve told them not to be.
"But this is the 23rd day now of being on the front page and it’s tiring, they worked all through Covid brilliantly, they worked all through this putting a programme out…and I just think they need a bit of respite now."
Watch Holly Willoughby's opening monologue in her first appearance on This Morning since Schofield's departure
June 5: Mr Frizell avoids questions at his home early on Monday morning, answering "I'll tell you what's toxic... Aubergine," when asked by a reporter if there is a toxic work environment at This Morning.
His comments are branded as "deeply inappropriate and disrespectful" by MP John Nicolson, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee set to quiz ITV bosses on the saga in a session on June 14.
Meanwhile, Holly Willoughby asks viewers if they are okay in her first appearance on the This Morning sofa since Schofield's departure, saying she has felt "shaken, troubled, and let down".
The 42-year-old spoke directly to viewers saying: "you, me and all of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth."
June 14: ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCall faces a quizzing from MPs, saying both Schofield and his younger lover "repeatedly denied" allegations of a relationship.
"There was only hearsay and rumour and speculation… Nobody on the board would have turned a blind eye to something as serious as this," she said at the Culture, Media and Sport Committee session in Parliament.
Dame Carolyn also said Schofield is "receiving counselling" since his exit and she is "very concerned" about his welfare, before agreeing that Mr Frizell's comments were "foolish".
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.